We trialed a handful of games for addition to the Mystery Game Tournament library last Sunday, March 19th, 2023, and all but one played have made the cut. The theme this time around was “robot wars” so I had picked competitive games that exclusively featured robots or mecha.
I had some very odd issues using my new favorite Parsec hosting utility, Parsec Soda, which put the session in serious peril. Without Soda, swapping controllers around in the a “hot-seat style” is prohibitively mired in frustration due to compounding complexities related to X-input device ordering and virtual device mapping in Parsec. So as soon as we wanted to switch pads around using vanilla Parsec, this issue presented itself. Fortunately, I was able to get this resolved by deleting the config files in my Windows users Appdata directory.
Metal Warriors
Metal Warriors (SNES) has a pretty unique versus mode that isn’t quite a fighting game but does feature 1v1 combat. Players battle each other in a split-screen mode where they control mechs in a 2D action-platformer, and try to blast their opponents away. The controls are somewhat similar to Smash TV, with independent movement and aiming controls. You’re also able to hop out of your mech and jump into other ones to get different attacks and a new lease on life, so I thought play might be interesting and dynamic.
Unfortunately, it didn’t really get a fair shake in our session due to the Parsec controller issues mentioned, and a distracting audio issue possibly related to an audio frequency settings mismatch between the host computer, emulator, and what Parsec was trying to send.
From the little we played of this game, it was clear that a small primer instruction / controls sheet would be essential for productive play. For one, the game has a somewhat odd control scheme that causes folks to stumble through the learning phase.
Outcome: ADDED
Joy Mech Fight
This exceptionally late (1993) Famicom release from Hal Laboratories impressed us with impressive graphical effects and charming music. The control scheme is simple and easy to grasp, but we did struggle to discover their character’s special move inputs. Additionally, some were flummoxed by the Rayman-style “detached limbs” animations – but eventually, they got used to it.
All this aside, we enjoyed Joy Mech Fight for a number of reasons: approachability, novelty, and impressive graphics. The bright graphics and chipper music really make playing this a joy and the controls are simple enough to play without too much practice. One thing I think will help is including some “special input examples” to give an idea of how to play. Since we’re trying to vary the library a bit, this game fits right in.
Outcome: ADDED
Tech Romancer
What could be more appropriate for this theme than an overlooked Capcom classic arcade fighter where basically every character is a loving homage to various anime series? The low-poly, high saturation visuals combined perfectly with an overhyped announcer and potentially seizure-inducing special effects to deliver a very “Dreamcast” experience. Despite the frenetic visual FX, the gameplay unfolds in a fairly measured pace (aside from the insta-kill mechanic).
Tech Romancer feels as much like a traditional fighting game as it does something like Power Stone. It’s a 3D game with a block and jump button, though Z-axis movement a little too slow to dodge anything but projectiles. This game definitely needs a primer sheet to help people get more acquainted with the mechanics and multi-button inputs used to execute special moves and functions. We had a good time with this one, and a little bit more ready information could have made it great time.
Outcome: ADDED
Rise 2: Resurrection
Sequel to the infamous DOS-native “Rise of the Robots” game, Rise 2 was both too bad and not bad enough to be worth including in the mystery game library. The game plays really clunky, special inputs are mystifying and obscure, and it looks like hot, dithered garbage. Turns out the critics were right, this is just an expensive and ugly screensaver – something you might see kids “playing” in a made for TV movie accompanied Atari sound effects.
If it had more interesting / corny character designs or if it played less competently, I’d consider including it for laughs, but it’s just not amusing enough to warrant this pain. Hard pass.
Outcome: EXCLUDED
Ball Jacks
This futuristic action / sports game feels like some kind of shelved / lost Namco arcade release that strangely only came out on the Sega Megadrive (aka Genesis), where it received a poor reception likely due to unmet expectations. Considered on its own however, there’s a wealth of fun to be had with Ball Jacks – potentially to the level of some like Windjammers according to Pants_Problems. The panicked back-and-forth gameplay definitely makes for some hype moments, and the graphics actually impressed us quite a bit.
In Ball Jacks, players move robotic crabs back and forth, firing their remote-controlled grippers in order to steal balls from their opponent until they have all the balls. Once a player holds all balls, their opponents “life” counter counts down at a rapid pace unless / until the opponent takes back a ball. Fun and frenetic with just enough nuance to fit a tournament setting.
Outcome: ADDED
Zero Divide 2
This 3D fighter feels a lot like a Virtua Fighter that happens to feature robots, but what makes it cool is the robot and stage designs are stylish and / or “out there”. There’s a pretty drastic variety in the stages including: small arenas, walls being short / full or non-existent, and the previously mentioned unique style. Technically, the combatants are androids because they are apparently controlled by an embedded human brain so you could argue against including it in a robot category… but c’mon.
The three button control scheme was easy to understand, wherein you have a traditional Block, Punch, and Kick button and most special attacks are executed using Punch + Kick and some directional input. Sidestepping seemed to be an obscure advanced input (quarter-circle back + Guard?). Otherwise, this is a perfect candidate for Mystery Games.
Outcome: ADDED
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